It was my relationship with a former partner that finally prompted me, in my 30s, to come out to my parents. And it was that relationship that finally led me to bring a man home to meet my parents. It turns out that I did not give my mom and dad enough credit.

The racism, Vietnamese Americans have been quite vocal about; the homophobia, Vietnamese Americans have remained largely silent on. I think, though, that these two are interlinked. And if we don't begin to address this fact, the new year will not be so new.

Whether the parade organizers and their supporters want to admit it, the Vietnamese population includes LGBT people. We deserve our place in the Tet parade just like Vietnamese lawyers, student clubs and dance troupes.